


Firefly, Season 1, Episode 6, Our Mrs. Reynolds

by TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer



Category: Firefly
Genre: Analysis, Episode Review, Episode: s01e06 Our Mrs. Reynolds, Meta, Nonfiction, Season/Series 01, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:55:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24918709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer/pseuds/TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer
Summary: Warning: Contains spoilers for the episode and the rest of the series. Complete.
Kudos: 1





	Firefly, Season 1, Episode 6, Our Mrs. Reynolds

Open to a horse-driven carriage going through water, despite the fact there is land right next to said water.

Horsemen ride into the water to surround the wagon. It turns out it’s being driven by Jayne. Wearing a dress and bonnet, Mal sits beside him.

One of the men wants some time alone with “the missus”, and Jayne insults his supposed wife’s attractiveness. Mal and Jayne have an amusing faux argument, and then, they draw their guns.

Mal pulls the bonnet down. “Now, think real hard.” He gives the men their options of jail or death. “If your hand touches metal, I swear by my pretty, floral bonnet, I will end you.”

One man decides he’ll risk it. This brings forth Zoe from the wagon, and she shoots the attackers.

There’s an abrupt transition to everyone dancing at a night-time celebration. Mal explains his plans to the Inara. She inquires why Zoe wasn’t the one to wear the dress.

It seems, until now, no one even thought Zoe being female might have put her in the better category for playing the wife. Or that two visible men riding together would have worked just as well.

Going over to the others, a man has given Jayne a rain-stick, and Jayne is a gushy drunk.

Book is sprinkling something over graves as he watches a woman place a wreath on Mal’s head.

The woman gives Mal something to drink. She goes off to dance, and Mal proudly shows off his new hat to Jayne.

Nearby, Wash and Zoe are cuddled together. Aw.

A woman drags Jayne and Mal into the dancing, and Mal dances with the wreath-giver.

The next morning, as the natives are packing the ship for the crew, Mal thanks the leader for the hospitality. In turn, the leader thanks him for all the crew’s done.

Serenity leaves, and Mal is putting something up when the wreath-giver pulls a creepy move by appearing on the other side of the wired container. He asks who she is, and she inquires, “What do you mean?”

He asks her what she’s doing on Serenity.

“Mr Reynolds, sir, I’m your wife.”

She tries to explain his arrangement with the leader included her since the people didn’t have cash or livestock to spare.

Zoe and Jayne appear, and Mal desperately asks the former why he suddenly has a wife. Jayne is disappointed he only got a rain-stick. Mal asks Zoe to get Wash.

Seeing as how this is obviously a delicate situation wherein they’ve either been infiltrated by a dangerous saboteur or have been unwittingly entered into an agreement with a confused, potentially emotionally fragile young woman, Zoe’s response is to call everyone down to the cargo bay to make an amused comment about everyone celebrating Mal’s day of bliss.

Naturally, Mal protests this. This only further upsets the wreath-giver, and she keeps apologising for bring shame to Mal and displeasing him.

Once everyone has been assembled, Zoe introduces the wreath-giver as “Mrs Reynolds”.

This seems wildly out-of-character for Zoe.

Kaylee is thrilled Mal apparently got married, and everyone else is confused. The wreath-giver starts crying when Mal snaps, “She’s no one.” Comforting her, Kaylee scolds Mal.

Mal tries to get Wash to turn the ship around, and Book asks if Simon has a specialised encyclopaedia.

Wash explains why they can’t go back; one of the men they killed had a rich, powerful family. Mal tries to soothe the wreath-giver by explaining, though he’s sure she’s nice, he didn’t marry her.

However, Book reappears to explain the wreath-giving, cup-drinking, and dancing were all part of a marriage ceremony on the planet.

Now, no, it’s absolutely not the best time or way, but I understand Mal’s immediate response of, “What’s it say in there about divorce?”

The wreath-giver runs off sobbing.

Mal and Kaylee talk in Mandarin Chinese, and Zoe asks if he thinks he’s the best person to talk to the wreath-giver. He answers they’re the only two who don’t think this is funny, and then, he walks past an unamused Inara. Heh.

He finds the wreath-giver, and he explains he thought he was just enjoying some wine and dancing with a pretty girl; no one told him he was getting married.

She asks if he’s going to kill her.

He’s horrified by this.

It’s established she’s heard of displeased husbands killing their wives, and he assures her he won’t. He firmly adds, “Someone ever tries to kill you, you try to kill them right back.”

He says they’ll be at a decent planet soon, and he’ll find her work. She refuses to be a prostitute, and he explains he was thinking about getting her a factory or ranch job. She softly answers, “I’d be a good wife.”

“Yeah, well, I’d be a terrible husband.” He says she has five days to see this for herself.

Giving the impression she’s going to use this time to change his mind, she says she’ll do for him or not as he chooses.

Asking if she’s hungry, he directs her to the kitchen. She decides she’ll cook him something. He tries to stop her, and she says, “My name is Saffron.”

As she skips off, Book again pops up. He explains divorce is rare. It requires a dispensation from her pastor. Book promises to do what he can, and then, he warns Mal not to take sexual advantage of her.

I don’t object to the warning itself, but I absolutely hate the line containing it.

Mal doesn’t appreciate much, either, and Book says he’ll make up a special room for Saffron.

Later, Saffron has fixed Mal a meal, and she stands by as he eats it.

Zoe and Wash come in, and she says she didn’t make enough for the others, but there’s still plenty of food if Zoe wishes to make something for her husband. As she wanders off, Zoe is further out-of-character.

Mal voices his displeasure at everyone treating him as if he’s lecherous and planning to take advantage of her, and they’re unsympathetic. Wash tries to get Mal a refill on cider, but reappearing, Saffron is creepily territorial about him encroaching on her wifely duties.

Expressing his admiration for her cooking, Mal tries to excuse himself by explaining him having already ate is the reason behind him not finishing it.

She offers to wash his feet, and he’s so unnerved, he simply walks away.

At Inara’s shuttle, she denies him entrance, but he walks regardless. He tries to open up about the situation, but she throws barbed insults. They have their usual bicker-go-around, and he leaves.

Then, there’s a fake-out of Jayne threatening Mal with his gun, but as mercenary as Jayne can be, he’s obviously not go to kill the beloved captain when they’re on Serenity. No, it turns out Jayne wants to trade his special gun, named Vera, for Saffron. Mal refuses on the grounds she’s a human being who isn’t to be bought, borrowed, traded, and/or lent.

“Jayne, go play with your rain-stick,” he orders.

Suddenly, he runs into Saffron. “You do sneak about, don’t you?”

Calling him a good man, she says she’d rather work at a ranch than be married to Jayne. He tells her a little about his childhood on his mother’s ranch, and then, notes he’s never told anyone else such things.

He asks about her past.

Elsewhere, two men are discussing Serenity. One of them labels it “a firefly”. It’s decided they’re going to try to steal it if it comes near.

Back on Serenity, Zoe and Wash argue about Saffron, and it’s a well-acted scene, but Zoe is still wildly out-of-character. If she were in-character, this argument would never happen.

Meanwhile, Mal goes down to his quarters, and this time, being creeped out takes a backseat to being uncomfortably aroused when he finds a naked Saffron in his bed.

He reminds her she has her own room.

The sheet falls to reveal her breasts to Mal. However, even in the future, female toplessness is overly-sexualised to the point female breasts are taboo. Refusing to look, he babbles about how this is about morality, not lack of pleasure on his part.

She quotes Bible verses at him which make it clear she believes their being married makes it moral for him to sleep with her. Then, she’s self-deprecatory.

Sitting down far from the bed, he explains he finds her attractive, confesses it’s been a long time since he’s done more than masturbate, but he doesn’t consider them married, and furthermore, she doesn’t owe him anything just because someone sent her along due to not being able to pay their debts.

I like what Mal says during this episode, but what makes it great is the fact this isn’t a special episode. Throughout the series, Mal views women as equals. He’s also protective of the underdogs, but his form of protectiveness leads him to try to help them to empower themselves. During the episode, though he has treated Saffron mostly with kid gloves, he’s also tried to encourage her to do things based on what she wanted.

However, whether she wants sex with him or not, this is where he has to draw the line. As far as he’s concerned, she’s not at a place where she can truly give informed consent.

In response, Saffron informs him she was extremely happy when they married due to seeing other women in the maiden house be forced into marriage with unappealing men. She continues she’d choose him herself out all other men. “I want this.”

Looking down at his erection, she promises she won’t make a fuss about him leaving her, but she does want sex before he does.

His resolve is sufficiently weakened, but whether he would have gone through with it or not isn’t answered due to him losing consciousness after kissing her.

“Night, sweetie,” she mockingly says.

Next, she goes to find Wash. She tries to seduce him with her words. He’s tempted, but his devotion to Zoe is simply too strong. As he’s waxing on about his relationship, Saffron rolls her eyes before giving him a kick to the head.

This was darkly hilarious and awesome to watch for me.

After dragging and locking him out, she does something to the controls. Before leaving, she also does something to the doors.

Then, she almost literally runs into Inara. She tries to seduce her, too, and it almost works. Inara invites her to her shuttle, but then, an alarm goes off, and they both drop the act to compliment one another’s skill. Inara ask who she is.

“Malcom Reynold’s widow.”

They fight, but Saffron escapes on a shuttle.

Running, Inara finds Zoe worrying over a still unconscious, bleeding Wash. Jayne tries to pry the doors open. Appearing, Kaylee asks what’s going on. Going down to Mal’s quarters, Inara finds him still alive. In relief, she kisses him, and thus, promptly loses consciousness, too.

Later, Mal wakes up to find everyone but Jayne, River, and Kaylee in his quarters. It’s explained Saffron used a popular narcotic women spread as a seal on their lips to knock men out. Simon seems to think Inara was also knocked out directly by Saffron, but Mal is more interested in what happened to Wash. Wash quickly protests, unlike them, he was knocked out the old fashion way. Zoe proudly declares he’d never fall for such techniques.

Book mentions Inara finding Mal, and with her speech slurred, Inara claims she was knocked out via trauma to the head. “I only fell,” she insists.

It’s established the ship is going somewhere, but they’re not sure where. As everyone disperses, Simon tries to examine Inara, but she protests through garbled speech she’s fine and doesn’t need to be.

Hopefully, he’ll remind her of doctor-patient confidentially off-screen.

Meanwhile, Jayne gets the doors open, and as everyone discusses Saffron’s motives, River lurks in the background. I think this is her first appearance in the episode.

Kaylee and Wash examine what Saffron did, and on the positive side, they have some awesome work to gush over. On the negative side, it’s going to take a long time for them to fix what she’s done.

Still insisting her unconsciousness was due to hitting her head, Inara declares Saffron was skilled in seduction. She admits Saffron tried to seduce her, too.

Now, Mal also thinks Saffron directly applied the poison to Inara.

Tired of all the sex talk, Wash orders everyone who wishes to continue talking about it to leave.

On the other ship, they prepare for Serenity’s arrival. It’s established via dialogue they’re in cahoots with Saffron.

Back on Serenity, it’s discovered Saffron signalled someone, and they’re heading straight towards some unidentified object.

There’s a brief shot of the thing. It’s a net, and it will burn them alive once Serenity gets in the middle of it.

Book explains some of the newer nets don’t do burn people, but it does give the people controlling the net the ability to open the airlocks and/or to gas the inhabitants. He says the people doing this aren’t the type to deal with survivors, and Jayne comments, someday, Book is going to tell them how a preacher knows so much about crime.

Mal orders Zoe to get their suits and for Jayne to get Vera.

Loading the gun, Jayne notes it needs oxygen to fire. Mal answers he’s going to use a spacesuit for this.

When the three are in spacesuits, Kaylee opens the door, Mal sits behind Jayne, and Jayne shoots at the net through the space suit he’s holding Vera in.

It causes a disruption on the other ship. Jayne shoots through their windows. They’re sucked out, and the net turns off. Serenity passes safely through. Everyone is excited but Kaylee; she’s disappointed she couldn’t actually fix what Saffron had done. Assuring her she’s still the best mechanic in space, he sweetly kisses her head.

“Captain, don’t you know kissing girls make you sleepy,” Wash inquires.

“Well, sometimes, I just can’t help myself.”

Somewhere snowy, Saffron is in a cabin. She senses something, and Mal bursts in with his gun drawn.

They fight, and he ends up pinning her to the bed. This would be fine, but unfortunately, the line, “Looks like you get that wedding night, after all,” just had to be added.

They end up on the floor. With a gun pointed at her head, he makes another sexual comment. She asks if he’s going to kill her, and he asks if there’s a compelling reason he shouldn’t. Ignoring the fact she was going to let him and his entire crew be killed, she answers, “I didn’t kill you.”

He points out the people she tried to hand them over to people who would have.

Plus, her lesser offences are emotional manipulation, conning food and a bed out of them, coming onto a person in a monogamous relationship, and physically assaulting three crew members.

“I made you dinner,” she quips.

Mal asks what’s up with the act. He opines there has to be easier ways to steal.

Implying she wasn’t in it for the payoff, she asks how he found her.

There weren’t many place the shuttle could have taken, is the answer.

Now, it’s her turn to make sexual comments. He informs her playing him again will get her shot multiple times. She retorts everyone plays everyone. In response, he points out, even with all her knowledge and intelligence, he’s still the one with a gun to her head. He attributes this to the loyalty and skill of his crew.

She asks if to just kill her, already, but moving away, he makes it clear he won’t. She says most men were ready for sex after the first few minutes; him trying to teach her to be strong and independent was something new.

He asks her what her real name is, and when she’s thinking about her response, he knocks her out.

Later, Mal visits Inara’s shuttle, and this time, he gets permission to come in. Bringing up her gracefulness, he makes it clear he doesn’t believe she somehow managed to fall after getting past Saffron. However, rather than thinking she kissed him, he thinks she and Saffron kissed, and he’s gleefully amused at this fact.

The episode ends with Inara hating herself, Saffron, and Mal but especially Mal.

Fin.


End file.
